Jigglypuff
Jigglypuff is one of the 493 species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar Pokémon media franchise. Like all Pokémon, Jigglypuff fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series. [http://uk.gameboy.ign.com/articles/389/389660p1.html Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire Review (page 1)]. IGN. URL Accessed June 1, 2006. Jigglypuff is voiced by Rachael Lillis in the English version of the anime show and in games, and by Mika Kanai in Japanese counterparts. Concept and characteristics Jigglypuff is a fictional character from the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. Known as the Balloon Pokémon, Jigglypuff is shaped like a round ball, with pink skin, large blue or green eyes, catlike ears, and a tuft of fur on its forehead. Its skin is rubbery and stretchy. It can inflate its body like a balloon (usually when it becomes angry; this is accompanied by a distinctive "honk" sound), or flatten its body, much like fellow Nintendo character Kirby. An exact limit to the size it can grow to in this manner is unknown. Jigglypuff are characterized by putting their enemies to sleep by singing a lullaby. Before beginning to sing, they mesmerize the opponent with their soft, glowing eyes, and if they inflate themselves, they can sing for longer periods of time.Pokédex: If it inflates to SING a lullaby, it can perform longer and cause sure drowsiness in its audience. Pokédex: It captivates foes with its huge, round eyes, then lulls them to sleep by singing a soothing melody. They can easily adjust the wavelength of their voices to that of the brain waves of a sleeping being, allowing for their pleasing melody to put its audience to sleep.Pokédex: Jigglypuff's vocal cords can freely adjust the wavelength of its voice. This Pokémon uses the ability to sing at precisely the right wavelength to make its foes most drowsy. They sing without pausing to take a breath, so if the opponent is resistant to sleeping, they potentially run out of air.Pokédex: When this Pokémon sings, it never pauses to breathe. If it is in a battle against an opponent that does not easily fall asleep, Jigglypuff cannot breathe, endangering its life. Jigglypuff evolves from Igglybuff, which looks like a small pink balloon, when Igglybuff has a high happiness level, and when exposed to a Moon Stone evolves into Wigglytuff, a relatively large pink balloon-like Pokémon with a white underbelly, and a pair of large rabbit ears. Appearances In the video games Jigglypuff first appears as one of the 151 species of Pokémon in the Pokémon Red and Blue Versions, and appear in all versions following it. It makes several other appearances in other games. Most notably, Jigglypuff also appears as an unlockable character in all three games of the ''Super Smash Bros, '' series. Jigglypuff also plays an important role in the game Pokemon Snap as a high ranking picture. The picture known as 'The Jigglypuff Trio' is the 2nd highest point picture throughout the game. In the anime In the ''Pokémon'' anime series, Jigglypuff is a recurring character who aspires to be a great singer after the inspiration of Ash Ketchum and company. Unfortunately, every potential audience falls asleep before the song finishes. Jigglypuff does not usually choose an appropriate time to sing and has been a hazard many times. Because of this, Ash Ketchum and his companions often find themselves running away from Jigglypuff. It keeps a black marker, its "microphone," and uses it to scribble on anyone who dares to fall asleep while it's performing. During Jigglypuff's first appearance it was found standing on a stump. Misty tried to capture it with her Staryu, but decided otherwise when she learned that the Jigglypuff could not sing. Brock gave it a piece of fruit which soothed its throat. Now capable of singing, it performed for them, putting everyone within hearing range to sleep. This upset Jigglypuff, which angrily dug into Ash's backpack and pulled out a marker which it used to draw on the faces of everyone who fell asleep. Only on two occasions has Jigglypuff believed that anyone had heard its song to the end: in the first, Jigglypuff realizes that Misty's Psyduck was sleeping with its eyes open, and in the second, a Whismur had heard the song the first time and stayed awake due to its Soundproof ability, but on the second time it was tired and fell asleep. There was once when Jigglypuff sang to two gigantic Pokémon battling each other, but these two Pokémon did not fall asleep, and instead Jigglypuff was knocked away by the energy of their battle. In the Pokémon short Pikachu's Exploration Club, Jigglypuff is parodied by a Marill, which, in the same fashion, puffs up angrily after putting its audience into sleep with its song. In Pokémon Chronicles, Marina has a Jigglypuff, but when the Jigglypuff uses Sing, people aren't affected in part because of Beedrill, because the beating of its wings are too loud. In the manga Jigglypuff has had sizable roles in most of the various ''Pokémon'' manga series. Jigglypuff also features prominently in many of the Pokémon chapter books, which generally follow the anime series closely. The Magical Pokémon Journey manga series has a female Jigglypuff as one of the main characters, parodying Hello Kitty, and is introduced to the series in a volume called Cooking With Jigglypuff (ISBN 1-56931-456-X). Jigglypuff's Magic Lullaby (ISBN 1-56931-442-X) is part of the Pokémon Tales series for very young children. Written by Megumi Hayashibara and illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno, it tells the story of Jigglypuff who wants to make the other Pokémon happy by singing for them. Yet, as usual, her song puts them to sleep, and this makes her very sad. Her friend, a Bulbasaur, helps her resolve the situation. Cultural impact This recurring gag with Jigglypuff was also used in Hey You, Pikachu! on the Nintendo 64. A similar Jigglypuff also appeared in the US stage musical Pokémon Live! Prior to the storyline depicted in the musical, a Pokémon Trainer who happened to be deaf had caught Jigglypuff. When Ash and friends confront this trainer, he sends out Jigglypuff, who succeeds in putting the heroes to sleep. Since the trainer is deaf, he obviously cannot hear the song and is therefore immune to her effects. In 2006, Viz released ten DVDs based around individual Pokémon in celebration of Pokémon's 10th anniversary in the United States. The Pokémon featured were determined by an online poll on Pokémon.com.Make your Pokémon a Star! Pokémon.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-06 Out of 45 choices, Jigglypuff's received second place and was released as volume 2, with Pikachu's being the first volume.POKEMON: 10TH ANNIVERSARY - VOLUME 2 - JIGGLYPUFF - DVD MOVIE - VIZ DPMAN02. Keenzo. Retrieved on 2008-05-06 Another compilation of Pokémon anime episodes, including "The Song of Jigglypuff" in which Jigglypuff is introduced, is available on both VHS and DVD, entitled "Jigglypuff Pop."Pokémon: Vol. 14: Jigglypuff Pop(1999)(V). Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-05-06 Merchandising Jigglypuff is often featured on products where a scene of several Pokémon are shown. An example of this is the full-sized Pokémon 747 aircraft by Boeing.Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet - ANA All Nippon Airways - Pokémon Colours. Widebody Aircraft Parade. Retrieved on 2008-05-06 Jigglypuff appeared on the starboard nose of the original white 1998 aircraft, and above the starboard wing of the 1999 blue aircraft. Jigglypuff was also on the nose of the international version of the plane.ANA's Pokémon Jet Home Page | Design. ANA SKY WEB. Retrieved on 2008-05-06 Jigglypuff has been made into several different toy and plush forms, as well as other items. These include, a four-inch action figure by Tomy Toys, small beanbag plush toy by HasbroPokémon Beanies Jigglypuff (#39) Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-05-06, a Halloween costume by Disguise Costumes, a six-inch plush "Christmas Jigglypuff", and an articulated action figure also by Hasbro.Pokémon Monster Collection Mini Action Figure - #21 Jigglypuff walloffame.net. Retrieved on 2008-05-06 Critical reception and pop culture Jigglypuff is considered one of Nintendo's mascotsIGN: Super Smash Bros.. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-05-20 and one of the most popular characters in the Pokémon franchise.Google cache of Nintendo: Press Release. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2008-05-20 The character has been frequently mentioned on CNN in context to Pokémon-based news stories as a recognizable example of a character from the series. . CNN. Retrieved on 2008-05-20 . CNN. Retrieved on 2008-05-20 . CNN. Retrieved on 2008-05-20 In January 2006, a boy named Donnell Bolton performed Jigglypuff's signature song in his audition on American Idol. Another well-known use of the Jigglypuff song was in a promotional spot that aired on Kids' WB! during the spring of 1999, crossing over with The New Batman Adventures, in which Tim Drake orders Batman to sing the song for him when he goes to bed. References * Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9. * Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1. * Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed Version & Pokémon LeafGreen Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X * Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5 * Ultimate Pokémon Network Retrieved May 31, 2006. External links * Official Pokémon website * Bulbapedia article about Jigglypuff * Pokémon Dungeon Pokédex entry * PsyPoke Pokédex entry * Jigglypuff's Lullaby * Snapshots of Jigglypuff from Super Smash Bros. Brawl Category:Pokémon species Category:Normal type Pokémon Category:Super Smash Bros. fighters Category:Fictional singers Category:Fictional balloons Category:Fictional characters who can change their size Category:1998 introductions